Rituals unescaped, Destinies unavoidable.

[LucienMoonmist]

*Moving fro mthe wood's edge, he grinned lgihtly as he looked upon Windstorm again. Shaknig his head slightly, he began his trot to the castle proper. He had been gone quite a while, and left quite abruptly. He knew Andrea would have his hide for this, then she would begin to lecture him he was certain. If not her, then surely his good cousin. With a chuckle, he passed throguh the gates after the short jog from the woods.

He held no limp as he moved now, his breath even and silent, matching his steps perfectly. His clothing seemed more regal than when last he was seen about the halls, not so much what a traveler would wear as was his standard about the years. Things had changed for him in the last few weeks, quite a bit.

He sighed slightly with the thought, grin still upon his face though. After all, what good would it do to see a newly throned ruler frown just after leaving his kingdom? Not that any would know of it lest he tell them. It was unlikely that many of his kin would spread the word of a new ruler. It was best their enemies see them as scattered and weak. However, there was inevitably that one Acolyte who became too drunk.

That, was another matter. Grinning, he moved into the hall and looked about. As much as the Leaven Groves of his homeland welcomed him with a petaled caress, the scent of the hall's hearth always seemed to call him back.

[LucienMoonmist]

*Looking about the firelit hall, he noted the sharp contrasts from this place and the other much akin to it. Moving up the stairwell, taknig the step two a time easily, he makes a small stop at his quarters to drop off his shoudler bags.

Moving to the upper reaches of the walls, he makes an easy jump, landing nimbly on the edge of the parapet overlooknig the land and the village. He took a deep breath of the air, so differant, yet so the same. His sharp blue eyes scanned over the horizon, as the guards looked at him as if he was more akin to being touched in the head. The land was so open, farms encroaching upon the forest. Samll, square houses, smoke from a multitude of fires.

He stood and stared for a while upon the edge of the parapet, his stance relaxed, almsot unaware of the fall which awaited but a scant space before him should he tilt wrong. Yet fall he did not, nor did he tilt or lean with a gust of wind. His stance was perfectly still, nearly to match the stone upon which he stood. Here, he could overlook this home as he had jsut so recently done his new one. So many things looked differant, yet felt the same.

Chucklnig softly, he wondered how others would react now. Perhaps it wasn't that large of a leap for some to grasp. One thing was for certain, Ruler or nae, he was Lucien. He had been a Guardian for many a year, and would continue to be one for many yet to come, irregardless of the station he held.

He tilted his head back and laughed merrily from the top of the wall, basknig in the sunshine his laughter drifted from the wall, content and happy*